Increase in sin taxes pushed

CEBU, Philippines - Robot-voices are calling for support for Health Secretary Enrique Ona's position to increase the excise taxes on sin products. Among them is the New Vois Association Philippines, a support group for laryngeal cancer survivors.

In its position paper, the DOH acknowledges that the “price of both tobacco and alcohol is the single largest factor influencing short-term consumption patterns.” He also said that “price plays a major role in determining how many young people will start smoking and drinking, and thus, influences long-term consumption.” Cigarette prices in the Philippines are some of the lowest in the world, thus making it easy for kids and the poor to take up the deadly habit.

New Vois head Emer Rojas is looking forward to the additional tax that would earn higher revenues from sin products for the government, like they have in other countries. Comprehensive reform measures on an improved tobacco taxation system were proposed by Rep. Dina Abad of Batanes and Rep. Niel Tupas of Iloilo.

Laryngeal cancer attacks the vocal cords and sufferers have to speak with a device that makes them sound like robots. About 90 percent of laryngeal cancer victims got it from smoking.

“Government can definitely use additional money from this revenue stream, and it should be higher than spending for smoking related diseases, following the principle of proper matching of costs vs revenues,”said Eribert Padilla of League of NGO accountants for Development.

Ona's bid would fulfill the Philippines’ obligations to the 164 other states that signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The FCTC firmly upholds that price and tax measures are effective and important means of reducing tobacco consumption by various segments of the population, particularly the youth.

UP Law and Health Justice also came out with the same recommendation in a policy paper titled Taxing Health Risks.

DOH also notes that an estimated 87,000 Filipinos die every year of tobacco-related diseases – 240 a day -- and that second-hand smoke causes a wide range of immediate and long-term adverse health effects including cancer, serious respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.

It has also been estimated that the economic costs, including expenses for health care and cost of productivity losses of only four of these diseases can range from PhP 218 billion to PhP 461 billion, many times over the current tax revenue from tobacco.

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies smoking as the single most preventable cause of death in the world.